Etymological list of counties of the United Kingdom

Etymological list of counties of the United Kingdom is a list of the origins of the names of counties of the United Kingdom. For England and Wales it includes ancient and contemporary counties.

Background

Throughout the histories of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom a variety of languages have been used to name places. These languages were often used in parallel with each other. As a result it is often difficult to assess the genuine etymology of a placename, hence some of the entries below are assigned more than one meaning, depending on which language was used to originally give the place its name.

One of the most common words used in county names in the United Kingdom is the suffix shire. This is an Anglic word meaning administrative district.

England

County name	Language of origin	Meaning
Avon	Brythonic	After the River Avon (Avon is a Brythonic word meaning river) County created in 1974 and abolished in 1996.
Bedfordshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Bedford: Bieda's ford
Berkshire	Brythonic	Hilly place (+ shire)
Buckinghamshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Buckingham: Bucca's home
Cambridgeshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Cambridge: The city was previously known as Grantbridge, meaning Bridge on the River Granta. The name of the city became Cambridge due to the Norman influence within the city in the 12th century. The name of the river Cam within Cambridge is a backwards derivation. The county has always been known as Cambridgeshire.
Cheshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Chester: From the Old English ceaster meaning Roman town or city. This itself stems from the Latin word for a fortress. The city's former name Legacæstir (circa 8th century) means literally 'City of the legions'.
Cleveland	Anglo Saxon	Cliff land County created in 1974 abolished in 1996
Cornwall	compound of Brythonic and Anglo-Saxon	(Territory of) Brythons of the Cornovii Tribe (Cornovii is a Brythonic word meaning people of the peninsula)
Cumberland	Anglo Saxon	Region of the Cumbrian Brythons
Cumbria	Welsh	Territory of the Cymry (Cymry was the Brythonic word to describe Brythons, similar to 'Cymru' (Wales))
Derbyshire	Old Norse	Shire of Derby: Animal village
Devon	Brythonic	Territory of the Dumnonii (The Celtic tribal name Dumnonii is of unknown origin)
Dorset	Anglo Saxon	Settlement of Dorchester: Roman town at Durnovaria (Durnovaria is a Brythonic name meaning place with fist-sized pebbles)
County Durham	Old Norse	from Dunholme: Island with a hill
Essex	Anglo Saxon	Eastern Saxons
Gloucestershire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Gloucester: Roman town called Glevum (Glevum is a Brythonic name meaning bright place)
Hampshire	Anglo Saxon	Formerly known as 'Southamptonshire', meaning is 'shire of Southampton': Southern town of Hamo (Hamo refers to a 5th century Saxon invader and settler)
Hereford and Worcester	English	Combination of Herefordshire and Worcestershire County existed between 1974 and 1996
Herefordshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Hereford: Ford suitable for the passage of an army
Hertfordshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Hertford: Ford frequented by harts or stags
Humberside	English	Beside the River Humber (Humber is a Brythonic word and is of unknown origin) County created in 1974 abolished in 1996
Huntingdonshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Huntingdon: Hunta's hill
Isle of Wight	Compound of English and Brythonic	Island at the place of division. More likely to be Old British "eight-sided", cf Modern Welsh wyth - eight.
Kent	Brythonic	(Land of the) Cantii or Cantiaci: a Celtic tribal name possibly meaning white, bright
Lancashire	compound of Brythonic and Anglo Saxon	Shire of Lancaster: Roman fort on the River Lune (Lune is a Brythonic word meaning pure)
Leicestershire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Leicester: Roman town of the people called Ligore (Ligore is a Celtic tribal name of unknown origin)
Lincolnshire	Compound of Brythonic and Latin	Shire of Lincoln: Roman colony by the pool
Greater Manchester	Compound of English, Brythonic and Latin	Greater county of Manchester: Roman town at Mamm (Mamm was the Brythonic name for Manchester and means breast-like hill)
Merseyside	English	Beside the River Mersey (Mersey is an Anglo Saxon word meaning boundary river)
Middlesex	Anglo Saxon	(Place of) the Middle Saxons
Norfolk	Anglo Saxon	Northern people
Northamptonshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Northampton: Northern home farm
Northumberland	Anglo Saxon	Territory of those living north of the River Humber (Humber is a Brythonic word of unknown origin)
Nottinghamshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Nottingham: Snot's home
Oxfordshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Oxford: Ford used by Oxen
Rutland	Anglo Saxon	Rota's territory
Shropshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Shrewsbury: Fortified place near scrubland
Somerset	Anglo Saxon	Settlers around Somerton: Farm used in the summer
Staffordshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Stafford: Ford by a landing place
Suffolk	Anglo Saxon	Southern people
Surrey	Anglo Saxon	Southern district.
Sussex	Anglo Saxon	South Saxons
Tyne and Wear	English	Area between the River Tyne and River Wear (Tyne is an alternative Brythonic word for river, Wear is a Brythonic word meaning water)
Warwickshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Warwick: Dwellings by the weir
West Midlands	English	West middle lands
Westmorland	Anglo Saxon	District west of the moors
Wiltshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Wilton: Farm where willow trees grow
Worcestershire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Worcester: Roman town of the Weogora tribe (Weogora is a Brythonic name meaning from the winding river)
Yorkshire	Compound of Brythonic and Old Norse	Shire of York: Originally Brythonic meaning yew tree, which was misunderstood by the English and Vikings to mean boar settlement. They subsequently named it Jorvik meaning Boar Estuary.

Scotland

County name	Language of origin	Meaning
Aberdeenshire	Pictish	Shire of Aberdeen: Mouth of the River Don (Don refers to the Celtic goddess Devona)
Angus	Pictish	Oengus (8th century king of the Picts)
Argyll	Gaelic	Earra-Ghaidheal - Coastland of the Gaels
Ayrshire	Gaelic	Shire of Ayr: Inbhir Àir - "The mouth of the (River) Ayr". Ayrshire is Siorrachd Inbhir Àir.
Banffshire	Gaelic	Shire of Banff: Possibly "piglet", though likely from Banba - a name for Ireland.
Berwickshire	Anglic	Shire of Berwick: Barley farm
Bute	Gaelic	Likely from bót - fire
Caithness	Old Norse	Cat headland, from the tribal name of those who inhabited the area. The Gaelic name for Caithness is Gallaibh, meaning "territory of the foreigners" ie the Norse who extensively settled the area.
Clackmannanshire	Brythonic/Gaelic	Shire of Clackmannan: "The stone of Manau", a district of the Brythonic people of the Forth area.
Cromartyshire	Gaelic	Shire of Cromarty: Chrombaigh - crooked bay
Dumfriesshire	Gaelic	Shire of Dumfries: Uncertain - perhaps Fort of the Frisians (Frisian is of uncertain origin but is thought to mean curly, as in curly hair) or Dun-phris (fort of the thicket), or Druim Phris (ridge of the thicket).
Dunbartonshire	Anglic	(Formerly spelled 'Dumbartonshire') Shire of Dumbarton: Dunbar's town (after Hugh Dunbar), or Dùn Breatainn (fort of the Brythons).
East Lothian	Brythonic	(Place of) Leudonus
Fife	Pictish	(Place of) Fib of the Picts
Inverness-shire	Gaelic	Shire of Inverness: Mouth of the River Nis. Nis is Gaelic, but the original (ancient) meaning of the river name is elusive. It is unrelated to the common suffix ~ness, found all over Scotland.
Kinross-shire	Gaelic	Shire of Kinross: Cinn Rois - head of the wood (or possibly promontory)
Kirkcudbrightshire	Gaelic	Stewartry of Kirkcudbright: Cill Chuithbeirt - Church of Saint Cuthbert.
Lanarkshire	Brythonic	Shire of Lanark: (Place in the) glade
Midlothian	Brythonic	(Place of) Leudonus
Moray	Brythonic	Moray: Sea settlement
Nairnshire	Brythonic	Shire of Nairn: Penetrating (river)
Orkney	Old Norse	Islands of the Orkos (Orkos is suggested to have come from a Gaelic tribal name meaning boar)
Peeblesshire	Brythonic	Shire of Peebles: Uncertain - possibly pebyll, "pavillions".
Perthshire	Pictish	Shire of Perth: (Place by a) thicket
Renfrewshire	Goidelic/Brythonic	Shire of Renfrew: Rinn Friù - point of the current
Ross	Gaelic	Rois - either "forest" or "headland".
Roxburghshire	Anglic	Shire of Roxburgh: Hroc's fortress
Selkirkshire	Anglic	Shire of Selkirk: Church by a hall
Shetland	Old Norse	Sealtainn in Gaelic. Origin disputed, but may refer to a personal name (Zet's land) or be an Anglicisation of the Old Norse Hjältland. The old Gaelic name for the islands was Innse Cat, "islands of the Cat people": the same people that Caithness is named after.
Stirlingshire	Not known	Shire of Stirling: Sruighlea in Gaelic. Origin uncertain. Folk Etymology has it as ""dwelling place of Melyn".
Sutherland	Old Norse	Southern territory. The Gaelic name for the region is Cataibh, which refers to the same tribe that Caithness takes its name from.
West Lothian	Brythonic	(Place of) Leudonus
Wigtownshire	Norse	Shire of Wigtown, from vik meaning a bay. In Gaelic, it's Baile na h-Ùige, "town on the bay".

Wales

County name	Language of origin	Meaning
Anglesey	Old Norse	Ongull's Island
Brecknockshire	Welsh	Brycheiniog + shire : Brychan's territory
Caernarfonshire	Welsh	Shire of Caernarfon: Fort opposite Fôn (Môn is the Welsh name for Anglesey, fon is its lenited form, used here after a preposition)
Cardiganshire	Welsh	Ceredigion+shire (Cardigan town is a back-formation) : Ceredig's territory
Carmarthenshire	Welsh	Shire of Carmarthen: Fort at Maridunum (the Roman place name Maridunum means fort by the sea)
Clwyd	Welsh	from the River Clwyd (the river name means hurdle)
Denbighshire	Welsh	Shire of Denbigh: Little fortress
Dyfed	Welsh	(District of the) Demetae (Demetae is of unknown origin but describes the pre-Roman settlers of the area)
Flintshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Flint: (Place of) hard rock
Glamorgan	Welsh	Morgan's shore
Gwent	Welsh	Trading place
Gwynedd	Welsh	According to folklore, after Cunedda. The Roman name for this district was Venedotia, seemingly cognate with Gwynedd, thus preceding Cunedda. More likely therefore to be "the place of white-topped mountains".
Merionethshire	Welsh	Meirionnydd+shire : (Place of) Meirion
Monmouthshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Monmouth: Mouth of the River Monnow (Monnow is a Brythonic word meaning fast flowing)
Montgomeryshire	Norman	Shire of Roger de Montgomery
Pembrokeshire	Welsh	Shire of Pembroke: Land at the end
Powys	Compound of Latin and Welsh	Provincial place
Radnorshire	Anglo Saxon	Shire of Radnor: Red bank

Northern Ireland

County name	Language of origin	Meaning
Antrim	Irish	One house
Armagh	Irish	Macha's height
Londonderry	Irish, Anglo Saxon	Derry from the Irish Doire, meaning oak grove and London from the Plantation of Ulster by the livery companies of the City of London.
Down	Irish	County of Downpatrick: Patrick's fort (formerly Dún Lethglaise or Fort by the stream)
Fermanagh	Irish	Men of Manach (a tribal name)
Tyrone	Irish	Territory of Eoghan (a personal name)

==References==

The Oxford Dictionary of Placenames by A.D. Mills and Adrian Room (1991) Oxford University Press
Pàrlamaid na h-Alba: Ainmean-àite le buidheachas do dh' Iain Mac an Tailleir
The Celtic Place-names of Scotland by W.J. Watson (Birlin 2004) ISBN 1-84158-323-5

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